Started at the TH where highway 74 becomes the Pines to Palms highway. There are no bathrooms or water fills at the TH or on the trail, so bring water. If you start early enough in the day (I did!) the first few miles are in intermittent shade. Incline is not dramatic and the trail is in excellent condition with great signage. Because of how the trail is routed, it seems like you are deep in the desert when you really aren't at all. After the initial climb which levels off around 4 miles, there are two dips at 4.8 miles and 6.8 miles before you actually reach the high point of the trail around 7.8 miles, where it intersects with Dunn Road. At the intersection, there is an ancient bulldozer that is melting into the sand. I looped here back down Art Smith the way I came, but you could go down Dunn Road if you wanted a change of scenery (in my experience, it is less scenic). Saw a few other people out, but only saw bigger groups within 2 miles of the trailhead. Very runnable trail!
